Orphans
by Rei Uta
Summary: Team 7 is at the orphanage on one of their rest days. The reason? Naruto. Read on to find out what our favourite blonde kitsune is up to and how will it involve the rest. :3
1. Into the Woods

**Summary: **Team 7 is at the orphanage on one of their rest days. The reason? Naruto. Read on to find out what our favourite blond kitsune is up to and how it will involve the rest. :3

**Warnings: **Don't read is you're not okay with tiny kiddies besting Naruto and Sasuke being over possessive. Remember, I'm not holding a gun to your head. xD

**Disclaimer: **If I owed Naruto, ask Kishimoto what happened to my money.

**Rating: **'T' for Naruto's mouth. :P *Looks pointedly at first sentence* And maybe for Sakura too.

If you survived through that, I'll bow to you and say: "Alright, let the 1st Chapter: 'Into the Woods' begin! Please sit back, relax and enjoy the show!

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><p>"Damn you Naruto. If you were going to blackmail me then at least be on time. Kami-sama, I swear Kakashi Sensei's influence over him is worsening day by day." One impatient and vaguely pissed Sakura Haruno could be heard muttering these words and similar others with great persistency and annoyance as she stood just outside the wooden barriers marked as Konoha Gates.<p>

The reason behind her complaints were evident when the person she had been cursing the whole duration she had been forced to stand underneath the blistering heat with only the minute shade provided by the structure overhead to shield her from the worst of the heat wave appeared, dragging along with him two figures that looked suspiciously like one Kakashi Hatake and one…

"Sasuke-kun?" The confusion in Sakura's voice was evident as she stared at the scowling dark avenger being dragged along by her blonde team mate. Sasuke Uchiha, the number one rookie in the Academy, sole surviving member of the Uchiha massacre and the biggest heart throb of Konoha village. What could Naruto have upon him that allowed him to exercise such power on Sasuke?

"Hello Sakura-chan. Nice to see you bright and early." The blonde Kyuubi container grinned and sudden anger pooled her cheeks again. Now that the shock from seeing Sasuke had worn off, she was beginning to remember how they had been gathered here in the first place.

"Naruto…" She gritted the boy's name out with much difficulty. "What in the name of Kami-sama made you decide it was a good idea to drag us all out at twelve in the afternoon on one of our rest days?"

Instead of answering, Naruto stared blankly at her for a while before the light seemed to return to the pure blues that put the skies above to shame.

"You'll find out when we get there." He answered cheerfully as he started down the dirt road stretched out before them, a kunoichi bent on murder chasing after him while the remaining members of the infamous Team 7 selected a more leisurely pace to chase after the duo.

It wasn't long before the path they were on took them into the forest. While Sakura was busy trying to strangle Naruto and Kakashi was reading his porn, Sasuke scanned their surroundings, dull ebony marbles that absorbed every detail of the area they were currently traveling in. As expected, the path they were on had trees lining the sides and the leafy greenness served to reduce the torturing conditions they traveled under.

Okay, he was exaggerating. Being a shinobi had required them to face tougher conditions without flinching, so the hot weather didn't really bother either of them. It was just another excuse to whine.

However, when Naruto broke away from the path to head off into the woods, the team instantly snapped to focus. Mostly, people traveled to other places through the long winding pathways with the only time they did so differently being if they were familiar with the area or had knowledge of other ways to reach it. Judging from Naruto's pace, the Kyuubi container was familiar with the place, which meant he visited the area often. Filing away the observed fact, the team continued to trail after Naruto who once again proved himself adept at traveling at high speed for a long period of time.

Speeding through the dense thickness, Naruto proved the fact that he was indeed well acquainted with the area when he neatly dodged every branch in his way with grace that none thought he would be capable of. It seemed all too soon before the greens in their surroundings thinned out and revealed to them the picture of an isolated home with empty spaces of open greens surrounding the tiny oasis. Splotches of colours decorated the greens at random, appearing to be plants or play things.

"This is?" Sakura's voice was the first to fill the air after the long period of silence and Naruto glanced back at her, an unreadable look in his eyes.

"An orphanage." He grinned a second later as he bounded towards the tiny home, as energetic as you would please. Stunned at the revelation, the rest of the trio followed after a moment, all trying to wrap their brains around the situation at hand. What was Naruto's purpose in bringing them to such an area? Was this where he had lived beforehand? How did the main character in Icha Icha Paradise get his girl? Okay, not everyone was as curious but the thoughts were mostly centered on the sprinting blonde member.

When they got closer, Sakura noted how blank and lifeless it appeared to be, for there was a huge lack of voices and several areas of the home looked rundown and forlorn. Definitely suspicious. Just as the concerned kunoichi was about to question Naruto on his instincts, the boy gave a loud yell and the wooden door slammed open to emit a steady flood of kids.

"Naruto! Naruto niichan! Naruto-kun!" Similar cries filled the air as the tiny specimens of humans swarmed around the laughing blonde, each trying their best to get his attention. To say the rest of Team 7 wasn't surprised would be an outright lie.

"Hi kids! Have you guys been behaving while I was gone?" Naruto joked about, openly displaying his ability to get along without much persuasion.

"Naruto, you're here." They heard a woman call out and all turned in the direction of the voice, a giant grin lighting up his tanned face and placing emphasis on his sparkling blues.

"Hai, didja miss me Tarimuki-san?" The addressed Kyuubi holder grinned as the miniature humans parted to let the happy red head through. Tarimuki giggled as a response as she hugged her long time visitor.

"Kami-sama couldn't even begin to know how much I missed ya!" She answered as she pulled away from the embrace to properly examine the bright features displayed before her. Tracing the 'whiskers' that barely showed up on Naruto's face, she grinned when a sound that suspiciously resembled a coo erupted from the boy's tanned throat.

"Hn." Startled when the low voice rumbled, Tarimuki turned towards the source, her grass green marbles widening when they fell onto the last Uchiha.

"You are…" Poorly covered snickers greeted the new comers, one of whom had her jaw fully floor bound, especially when Tarimuki only continued to stare curiously at Sasuke instead of fawning over him.

"That's the broody bastard I was telling you about." Naruto explained and even more snickers rung out when the air around said 'broody bastard' tensed up.

"Dobe."

"See! That's what the teme always calls me!" Naruto pouted and the older portion of the group had to fight against the sudden urge to glomp the poor blonde and pinch the life out of him.

"Yeah, well, let's get indoors." Someone suggested. This was wholeheartedly agreed upon by the entire group who switched locations without fail. (Apparently the rumors about Uchihas burning up faster than others were truth) Once safe inside the shelter offered by the roof above, the trio of newcomers took the opportunity to glance around the area.

Despite the first impression of a rundown home, the interior was, in reality, quite homey. Walls coloured a pale primrose yellow lined the halls of the cottage and the oaken planks which made up the floors of the home were in a good repair, despite how some of them looked as if they would require a new fixing soon.

The furniture, though plain, were sturdy items with a minute number set aside, all in a near pitiful condition. Childish items which contributed to the overall feel were found in every corner, along with the laughing faces of their owners, some of which were now poking fun at the newcomers.

"Is it natural to have hair so pink?"

"Why are you hiding your face?"  
>"Why do you have a duck butt for hair?"<p>

Naruto could scarcely hold back giggles as a group of kiddies crowded around the last Uchiha, certain few tugging at his shirt while some examined his 'duck butt' hair and others poked fun at the Uchiha symbol adorned on the back of his navy shirt.

Sasuke, on the other hand, had a murderous aura hanging around him, one which the kids were too naive to notice despite the fierceness which allowed Naruto to sense it even from the far corner he was standing at. It did raised a heck lot of concerns for the certain few who were able to sense it though, namely Naruto and Tarimuki.

"Hey kiddies! I brought along a treat for ya! Ignore the teme and come get it!" Deciding to intervene before someone paid for the deed of mocking the Uchiha with their lives, Naruto successfully stole the spotlight from the silently thankful raven as he dashed into another room, followed by a great wave of cheers and stampeding feet as the many chibi-fied humans chased after the blonde kitsune. When the noise level significantly decreased in their area, everyone decide to let the welcomed bliss prolong slightly before it was smashed into a million shards by the same person who had originally assisted in its birth.

The loud crash and louder yell took care of that.

Caution and worry fueling the steps, the quartet directed their attention towards the fixed kitchen, where the sight of Naruto being mercilessly pummeled by a good number of chibis both big and small met their eyes.

"Geez, what didja do this time?" Tarimuki's voice carried traces of humor and familiarity, indicating that it had occurred often. Sasuke couldn't stop the smirk. Whoda thought that the 'Great Naruto Uzumaki' who was the only one who could ever boast of ever defeating the last Uchiha would be beaten and pummeled by mere children who didn't seem to have a single shred of ninja abilities.

"Niichan wuldn't twell us where twe tweaty wis!" A particularly young brunette grumbled as he ran towards Tarimuki, clutching her long skirt pleadingly, as if begging her to assist them in the punishment of 'niichan'.

"That's because he left it with me." Deciding to save Naruto's ass before it got pummeled too badly and resulted in their inability to return home, Kakashi held out a packet of candies that happened to conviently be located somewhere about his person. What he did not expect was for those tiny monsters to abandon Naruto in favor of swarming all over him.

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><p>Oh dear! What's going to happen to Kakashi now? D: Wait patiently for the next chapter to find out. xD<p>

In case you can't read or don't understand what the kid was telling Tarimuki, he was saying: "Nichan wouldn't tell us where the treat is!"

Well, this ends my first chappie. Please R&R and hope I get the next up soon.

This is Rei signing out. xD


	2. The Volcano, the Murderer, the Innocent

**Summary: **Team 7 is at the orphanage on one of their rest days. The reason? Naruto. Read on to find out what our favourite blond kitsune is up to and how it will involve the rest. :3

**Warnings: **Don't read if you're not okay with dominating kids and scary Sakura plus a 'Death Glare of Doom'. Remember, bullets can't be shot through screens. xD

**Disclaimer:** I asked Kishimoto if he could give me Naruto if I gave him a million bucks. He agreed but found out it was counterfeit money, so he took them back. Dx

**Rating: **'T' for the usual banter between our darling kitsune and *fake accent* ze ducke butte. xD

Hello people! :D This is a chapter popped up in honour of Naru-kun's birthday! :D So sit back, relax, and don't fall over. xD

A special shout out to the magnificent Bishie Huntress for being a supportive and awesome person! :D

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><p>It was alarm that threatened the near separation of his hands from his orange porn book as the rightfully dubbed monsters grabbed at their precious candy. It didn't take long for Kakashi to abandon the sugary treats in favor of saving his orange paperback.<p>

The silver haired ninja retreated a good distance away from the candy grabbing beasts, clutching his precious book tightly to his chest in a manner that closely resembled the definition of either the words 'possessive' or 'pathetic'.

It didn't take long for the shinobi team to decide the winner would be the latter description.

Tarimuki giggled at the scrutinizing gazes the trio sent their shamefully cowering sensei, rightly guessing on their thoughts as the same word raced through her mind.

"Kids, what must you say to niichan and his sensei?" The sugar deprived monsters paused in their ravening of the innocent packet whose only fault had been to house pieces of sugary goodness.

"Thank you Naru niichan and Hentai Sensei." They chorused in a well trained choir that had Naruto caught in desperate peals of laughter while Sakura choked on giggles and Sasuke forcefully restrained broad chuckles. The look on Kakashi's face spoke of priceless disbelief and that only increased their urge to giggle.

"Hen-tai-Sen-sei?" The jounin pronounced slowly, taking great care to stretch each syllable to the fullest. Darkened greys met with crinkled blues as understanding and curiosity flashed through the intelligent eyes.

"Just how often do you talk about us?"

"Often enough." The blonde kitsune quirked his lips into a teasing grin as he light heartedly skipped down the connecting hallway of oak and cream walls, followed by the entire troop of chattering imps.

"Hey! You guys are helping out too!" Naruto's voice floated back to the quartet left in the kitchen area. Heaving a shrug, the dark avenger headed out, hands firmly encased in his pockets, followed by a giggling cherry blossom.

The two adults left behind in the kitchen area let empty silence surround them for the slightest of seconds before heading out as well, the silver haired shinobi with nose in his much beloved porn and the red haired care taker with merriment lining both her steps and her moss green marbles.

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><p>After a short tracking session, the four found their target sitting amidst the many chibi terrors, most of whom were, surprisingly, napping peacefully at his feet, the remaining minority not doing so surrounding the blond kitsune as he rambled on about one of the missions he had undergone.<p>

"… and when the guy suddenly popped up in front of us, I was convinced teme was gonna piss in his panties with fear…"

"Dobe." Sasuke's voice broke into Naruto's excitable rambling with practiced ease and a well placed insult. "If I remember right, you were the one who squealed like a girl before you attempted to throttle the ninja."

Ignoring the indignant splutter that followed his remark, Sasuke stepped further into the room before the subdued kunoichi and the two adults followed.

"Teme! You're lucky were in front of kids now or else I'll show you a good ass whooping!" The blond screeched whereas the rest observed with varying levels of surprise when some of the sleeping children reacted to Naruto's voice with a simple movement of turning over.

"Shush, the kids are sleeping." Sakura hissed, delicate pink brows furrowing together at the unusual behavior. Having a high intellect had the additional bonus of giving her the curiosity to study psychology and it had been stated in the book that such examples of trained behavior could only be the result of long periods of repeated visits.

Why did the blond only decide to show them his secret hiding place now instead of when he had first found it? As far as she could see, none of their attitudes towards him had changed ever since the Chunin exam had passed.

What made now so special?

"Sakura-chan! We're gonna be going now!" Naruto's cheerful voice jolted her out of her thoughts and the pinkette blinked, clearly surprised at the particular lack of her teammates in the room. Sneaking a look at the amused red head, Sakura examined the woman's features, hoping for the tell tale glint that said she was willing to help in the explanation of her current situation.

Luckily for her, she found a willing helper.

"Naru-chan asked you to start with the chores while him and the rest grab some groceries and fixing supplies." Oh, it seemed that Naruto only wanted to receive aid in spring cleaning duties. Somehow, Sakura couldn't help feeling that his reason ran deeper than that.

Thankfully for the blond kitsune, Tarimuki had decided to intervene before Sakura could really start thinking.

"Sakura-chan, there's plenty of work to be done, so come on, no time for dilly dallying." Just hearing the teasing tint in her voice, made Sakura forcefully retain a groan. She hated chores. Hated them to the extent wherein she'd gladly face a hundred assassins rather than tackle them.

…

Well… Maybe not that many assassins…

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><p>Half a minute found Sakura desperately trying to sweep and dust the seemingly never ending corridors while manning the group of ten under her command. Tarimuki had literally shoved the broom and duster into her arms, her tongue moving in quick precision as she laved instructions onto Sakura's disorientated pink head.<p>

"… I'd recommend getting the kids to help out…" was the murmur that had resulted in her additional babysitting job. Now surrounded with ten freshly awoken chibis with cleaning supplies as her weapons in combating dirt, Sakura was honestly at a lost for what to do.

Luckily for her, one of the older chibis appeared to be a natural born leader. The indicated chibi; was one with charcoal curls and curiously coloured violet orbs. Attired in clothes a shade similar to her eyes, Sakura would've laughed at the idea of the chibi telling her what to do, if it wasn't actually happening before her.

Before long, Sakura found herself obeying the child's direct instructions, dusting, mopping and clearing anything the kid found unsatisfactory. Sakura found herself overwhelmed, the feeling quickly replaced by annoyance.

Makota, the commanding chibi, had managed to wheedle a good hour worth of work by the time Sakura snapped and refused to obey.

Thankfully for the 'innocent' little 'darling', before Sakura could unleash her new found fury on the helpful little 'dear', the rest of the gang returned, cheery cries and chatters announcing their presence, allowing the bright girl the opportunity to escape while the 'Cherry Volcano' as she had thus dubbed was distracted by the appearance of Naru niichan and Duck butt.

Sakura had to fight the sudden feeling of deja vu that occurred.

When Naruto crowded into the newly cleaned hallway with the rest of the dirtied kids, they were quick to abandon the attempt as Sakura's infamous temper exploded, resulting in a near hour's worth of 'Musical Chairs' with the unfortunate furniture and a murderous volcano.

Naruto even found himself gazing back wistfully at the point of time wherein Sakura would still blush too brightly and be too fidgety in her beloved 'Sasuke-sama's presence to resort to violence while he watched on with silent detachment and what could be grudgingly termed 'humor' if one squinted hard enough and wore magnifying glasses over their eyes.

Sakura was surprisingly; pacified by none other than the great Duck butt himself who performed this feat by 'staring' at her with a lazy, Sharingan eye.

…

Maybe even terming it 'staring' was too nice a word.

A more appropriate word would be the birth child of 'Murderous' and 'Traumatizing'. Maybe even something worse.

Whatever it was, did its job as Sakura froze, fear darting into bright emeralds at the sight that could make even the black hearted Zabuza break down into tears. Such was the intensity of the best death glare Sasuke ever sent her.

Along with Sakura, the rest of the room tensed up, the atmosphere in the area turning sour as rapidly as milk left out of the fridge on a blistering hot day. Such as the heat wave beating down on the backs of the many innocents today that totally did not deserve the torture.

Ignorant of the abrupt shift in mood, Naruto surveyed his companions in silent puzzlement before randomly deciding to grab a drink of milk before starting on his set list of chores, having been set back by Sakura's ill temper.

As it happened, everyone in the room once again, had Naruto to thank as he killed the syrup thick fog that had enshrouded all but the golden ball of sunshine. Apparently, all it took was for him to move before the trance was broken and the Sharingan was hidden safely within the depths of mysterious black once more.

"Who wants milk?" The sentence accompanied by a sunny smile and sparkles in an imitation of one of Gai's numerous cheesy background tricks pulled the unfortunate chibis' attentions to the golden fox and they reacted accordingly, gleefully chasing after the laughing blond in an attempt to retrieve the promised treat.

The ones left behind stared after the retreating orange back, with amusement, awe, indifference and adoring wonder respectively.

…

All heads (excluding two) turned to stare at the singular person capable of making such a face. No, it wasn't Sasuke you weirdo! Instead, Team 7's gaze fell upon a mere slip of a child.

The girl looked to be three, with indecently large, black blues for her eyes. A cheerful orange ribbon confined the chibi's flowing black locks into a singular style and an obnoxious orange dress was draped around the tiny body. In fact, the top of her head would just about reach Sakura's knee level.

Seeing the eyes turned to her, the child flushed, seemingly attempting to withdraw into her tiny frame if it was possible. Really, she reminded them oddly of Hinata. Both females had the habit of turning red at any given second.

In the resounding awkward silence that followed, Tarimuki absently ventured down the hallway, deciding to check if someone was going to push a whole group of gay babies into her orphanage, declaring that it was their fault for the sudden jump in numbers.

"Where have you been hiding all day? I've been looking for you!" At the sudden addition of the voice, the shy kid visibly perked up, black blues widening with suppressed emotions.

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><p>*Very bad, very fake accent* Le gaspe! Who is zat who has invaded on ze groupe?<br>*Normal voice* Find out in the next chapter! ;D

Remember, reviews make for faster updates! *stares pointedly at the few who have alerted the story and the barely visible number who favourited it*

This is Rei, signing out. xD


	3. Can't I Have A Father?

**Summary: **Team 7 is at the orphanage on one of their rest days. The reason? Naruto. Read on to find out what our favourite blond kitsune is up to and how it will involve the rest. :3

**Warnings: **The mystery child could be a product of my OTP. :P

**Disclaimer: **I can assure you she isn't! Oh, wait. This part is about rubbing in my face the fact that I don't owe Naru. You guys suck! x(

**Rating: **'T' for possible volcanic explosions I might've forgotten about. xD

I hadn't intended to post this one up, so thank my current insomia curse. (Grrr) If you're going to kill me, do it in a reveiw, cause I'm feeling a lack of L-O-V-E and that makes me cranky and totally un-inspired.

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><p>Instead of voicing out a single one of them, she scurried over to the laughing figure framed in the doorway and clung onto him, the crimson on her face deepening from a tomato shade into the 'Is-she-even-breathing?' category.<p>

"Chichi," the girl mumbled into the soft folds of orange material, inhaling the brash scent of oranges and the softer, delicate smell of earth that lay buried beneath the louder taste.

And the world grinded to a halt for the invading trio.

A harsh cry ripped itself from the throat of the single kunoichi while the avenger gained the look of one who had been kicked in the singular piece of anatomy that any sane male would treasure. The scarecrow merely flipped a page, his posture and facial expression doing nothing to indicate that he was in any way, participating in the general reveal.

Uzumaki just continued petting the ebony locks of the child, having bent down so that soothing cobalt met charcoal sapphire.

"It's okay to come rushing up like the others, Utaki. No harm in that." Using a gentle voice that none in Team 7 had ever heard the usually brash kitsune use before, Naruto continued to coo to the child, Utaki, gradually drawing the painfully shy girl out of her shell with well placed words and gentle teases.

Team 7 stood to the side, two out of three of its members captivated by the foreign side of their loud teammate.

A lazy beam entering through a nearby window turned sunshine gold into a mellow shade, teasing light bringing out the soft glint in normally crackling cobalt. The black 'whiskers' that usually stood out proudly on Naruto's tanned cheeks seemed to blend into the surrounding skin as urged by the sun's rays and even the eyesore of a jumpsuit the kitsune was fond of wearing seemed to dull to a more manageable shade.

The confident, toothy grin that always seemed to be a defining feature of the ever optimistic and cheerful boy had somehow melted into a calming, encouraging smile, adding to the entire atmosphere that had enshrouded the room in subtle movements that evaded their senses without consent.

Just as Utaki was captured by the ever unpredictable Uzumaki, Haruno and Uchiha found themselves ensnared in the same trap, both utterly mesmerized by the abrupt change in both the mannerism and look of their boisterous teammate.

The singular look that made them feel as if the blond would willingly accept whatever they had become or would become. Willingly embrace them for their own natures, their true selves. As if it would not care about whatever mask they had on. The look that made them feel safe, warm, wanted and contented all at once.

It was… a comfort.

"Naru!" And the Sharingan instinctively snapped back to life as the trance broke over the group while Tarimuki poked her head of springy fire into the room, emerald gaze centered solely on the blond. "We need those chores done before dinner if you ever planned on getting everyone settled down before midnight."

In one accord, all eyes turned to the blond.

Seemingly unfazed by the multi hues, Naruto mock grumbled, removing his hand from Utaki's hair.

"Chill out Tarimuki-san. I do have a remedy for it," he chided, hands moving quickly to form the appropriate signs.

"Shadow clone jutsu!"

And Narutos filled the room. Without mincing words, they filed into an orderly row while the real one stood in front, sharp cobalt darting between one clone and another, as if trying to determine the minute differences between them that was somehow important.

While Naruto sorted things out with his clones, Sakura forced the air into her lungs to satisfy Inner Sakura's sudden blood lust and screaming fit and Sasuke's Sharingan spun wildly as his newly developed, mental chibi hurled kunai after kunai at Tarimuki's unprotected back. The silver scarecrow just continued reading, shutting down the world's efforts to get his attention.

Tarimuki's life, however, was spared when the murderous duo's eyes fell upon Kakashi's indifferent figure. Their anger dying as a new thought sprang to mind, fading away to be replaced by individual theories and phrasings, which all led up to one thing in the end. 'When, and how, did they start to feel something akin to friendship, besides the general acknowledgement that teammates were supposed to give each other?'

After all, nothing much had changed after the chunin exams.

Right?

They had continued along with their lives after the exams, each proudly carrying their new rank achievement home after Kakashi had taken them out for ramen (courtesy of the ever lovable blond) and they had met at their usual spot on the bridge without fail, acting as if nothing had taken place.

Thus, logically, one could say that nothing much had changed. Naruto and Sasuke still annoyed the shit out of each other, Sakura still disciplined Naruto by whacking him, both still yelled at Kakashi when he arrived late and made up ridiculous excuses which no sane person would believe in and Kakashi still read porn. There were still differences, though, since everyone was altered at least once with each grain of sand that fell from Father Time's clock.

Sakura had balanced out her feelings between her teammates. Instead of favoring one over the other, she looked upon both as her odd brothers and was capable of behaving normally around the dark avenger.

Sasuke had become less of a bastard, capable of showcasing what was loosely termed as a 'smile' which, in actuality, was a sinister looking grin that made little kids scream with terror and gave them nightmares enough to last a week. In fact, the first time he 'smiled', Sakura turned pale while Naruto made a gagging motion. Kakashi just stuck to his book, unwilling to part with the delicious sin within just to see his socially retarded student try something out of his comfort zone.

Naruto had loosened up slightly and the name calling between him and Sasuke had somehow, somewhere, been laced with a small undertone of affection even though their fights had retained the fierce intensity as all the others.

These were the only changes. Nothing major. Right?

Damn…

They used to be certain about their lives, certain about their positions. How did a simple visit to the orphanage change that?

Neither were sure. Not anymore.

"Hey guys! We're done, so Tarimuki-san says that I can show you your rooms now!" Naruto's cheerful voice halted their inner musings as new questions rose. Mainly because they had finally registered the last part of Tarimuki's earlier sentence.

"Rooms?" Sakura repeated, blank emeralds staring at the ever grinning blond. "Why would we need rooms?"

She was graced with a look of pure innocence and childish confusion.

"Wouldn't you need a room if you're going to stay away from home for an elongated period of time?" He pointed out logically.

All in the room (Haruno, Tarimuki, Uchiha and Hatake) gaped at him, the 'S' duo, due to their ignorance of the situation and the adults, due to their surprise that the blond even knew the complex word which was 'elongated'.

Grinning the cute fox grin he was known for, Naruto cocked his head to a side, questioning them on their readiness. Sasuke had no idea why it felt like he seemed to be insulting them with sparkling cobalt, though. The blond started down one of the seemingly endless corridors, pausing when he realized his team wasn't following. Angling his head back so that stern cobalt met and held, he stepped further into the maze known as an orphanage, this time, with three others tagging along.

Navigating the complex puzzle seemed to be a piece of cake for the blond, who had started chatting with one of the many kids the orphanage boosted.

At length, he finally led them to a room which happened to look like any one of the other doors they could have gone through earlier. Ignoring the death glares aimed at him from his admittedly, way-too-violent teammates, Naruto twisted the handle, forcing entry into the room. To appraising multi hues, the room was simple.

It boosted two beds nestled in each corner, against the pale cream walls which made both pieces of furniture appear to blend in due to the stark white sheets laid upon it. Each bed came with its own chest of drawers, sweet looking and absurdly feminine. Oaken planks lined the floor, much like the ones in the maze like hallway with a sweet pink rug in a generous oval separating the two.

Windows lined with oak let dying rays of orange light in, colouring both of the empty canvases with the gentle shade.

"This will be your room, Sakura-chan!" Naruto proclaimed; a broad grin on tan face. With an urging hand, he guided the disorientated cherry blossom into the room, well aware of what she might be feeling then. A steady stream of emotions, starting first with the relief of escaping the seemingly endless corridor, than a quiet, comprehensive mode meant for observation before sharpening as details were absorbed with closer scrutiny.

Little minute things that added up to the full picture. The tiny, barely important detail hardly anyone had the patience to connect together nowadays. Such as the obviously well cherished photo frame stationed neatly on the chest of drawer located somewhat to the right and the twin shoes poking out at them shyly from beneath white cotton and wooden planks.

Stepping closer to the tiny rectangular pink frame, Sakura's sharpened emerald lingered over the interlocking blue and white design covering the entirety of the otherwise plain, pink, before locking onto the two faces smiling out of the captured memory.

A pair of exquisite black sapphires stared out, sparkling with undiluted joy, set in a tiny face framed by midnight curls, mostly confined by cheerful yellow. A neck reminding one of the green stem of a rose connected head to body, a slender frame belonging more to a kunoichi than a child was outfitted in lemon striped cream.

Next to the girl, with an arm slung around shoulders seemingly far too tiny to bear weight for anything, was a fox, years older than her.

A smile, far gentler than what they were used to stretched across his 'whiskered' face, while sunshine locks free from all binds fell without pattern around a tanned forehead. Loose black wrapped around the fox, while dusted orange dulled by constant exposure to the elements hung around his hips. Traditional shinobi foot wear kept nicely bronzed toes safe from the hidden perils of green.

The fox was none other than Naruto Uzumaki, ninja extraordinaire, ramen obsessed and a year round, unpredictable, bundle of energy with a heart the size of an ocean and a mind purer than angels. The child resembled…

"Utaki!"

The named child was, as usual, a silent observer, positioning herself right behind the tiny group. When she got there, no one but Naruto probably knew.

"What are you doing here?" Ever curious, Sakura kneeled before the tiny girl, the jade orbs that had once darkened into a terrifying shade of forest emerald now lit with the singular emotion, a gentle inquiry.

The girl flushed, as if frightened at the sudden requirement of her participation. The cherry shade painted her cheeks, crossing the bridge of her miniature nose, capping her ears and shading her neck, even as charcoal sapphire froze on jade.

Sasuke vaguely wondered why the picture she made reminded him of a cat whose primal instincts warned it of an approaching dog. If life was an anime, he was sure the girl's neat ebony locks would be standing, as if she'd just been given an overdose of static electricity.

"Sakura-chan," and Utaki visibly relaxed as Niichan drew the Cherry Volcano's attention away, "this is also Utaki's room."

"Eh?" Oh dear, the Cherry Volcano was going to blow. It was evident in how the innocently curious jades went blank, how her slim frame seem to deceptively relax itself as her mind sorted the information.

The greens darkened, a warning sign that the young chibi took instantly to flee for the safety Tarimuki-sensei would most certainly provide, having sensed that Chichi would be the focus of the attack.

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><p>To clarify things before people kill me for being cliche, blue happens to be my favourite colour for eyes and I adore my original hair colour, so I plopped both onto my cutie Utaki.<p>

Really, no reviews and you want me to update faster? Honey, I have no inspiration! Heard of it? It's called W-r-i-t-e-r's-B-l-o-c-k and it's a terrible thing. :( I appreciate cures cause I'd love to see what my imagination tortures them with. (Yes, it's not all sunshine and roses here!)

Enough with the crazy writer talk. Remember, gimme my reveiws and I'll provide a faster update. ;)

This is Rei, signing out. ;P


	4. Roommates

**Summary: **Team 7 is at the orphanage on one of their rest days. The reason? Naruto. Read on to find out what our favourite blond kitsune is up to and how it will involve the rest. :3

**Warnings: **Scary Sakura and her less than angelic traits are here. A KakaIru mention and a tiny hint of SasuNaru. You were warned!

**Disclaimer: **If I own Naruto, the KakaIru pairing would be real, even though I honestly have no idea where it came from. xP

**Rating: **'T' for description.

Merry Christmas, people! x3 Have a great day!

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><p>This would be one of the times Utaki's instincts and fine tuned observation skills paid off, for she left just as the fiery mountain exploded, with a cry of her Chichi's name boiling at the tip of its tongue.<p>

"NARUTO!"

And the resounding scream that followed made all (but Kakashi and Sasuke) cower into the deepest pit of darkness they could squeeze into, including but not limited to, the dusty space beneath their beds, the black reaches of their closets in which imaginary monsters failed to keep them from or even, in a hole, surrounded by the damp freshness of the newly turned earth.

If one were to stare at the once again, deserted building, they'd think that something much worse than a little, pissed, pink girl whose slim frame belittled her strength, had threatened the area.

Yes, she was that scary. Maybe even more that what anyone gave her credit for being.

Later on, when Sakura had finally run out of steam (and had started to repeat obscenities), life crawled back to the completely unremarkable looking building which might, at any moment, be blown to smithereens by the thoughtless actions of one child, the idiocy of a certain team of 'trained' shinobi or even destroyed by the wrath of Mother Nature with cruel swiftness.

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><p>With Sakura almost pacified with the promise of an explanation once the day had dawned, the trio of males left her to the silent chibi (but not without some trepidation on Naruto's part) she was to name her roommate and ventured further into the deceptively maze like corridors.<p>

Thankfully for the bone weary shinobi, it wasn't too far off. Naruto pulled his raven teammate towards another eerily similar door and pushed the other into the room. To be honest, Sasuke had expected worse that the scene which assured him his imagination was overrated.

This room could almost mirror Sakura and Utaki's, except for the thankfully more masculine chest of drawers stationed next to boringly white beds and the oval rug in a fetching, almost predictable shade of ocean deep blue. The kind that easily won Naruto's eyes in a contest of darkened shades.

It was also empty. A barren space of neutral shades with the occasional colour thrown in, making them stick out immediately.

"This will be our room, teme." Naruto declared, twinkling cobalt meeting moonless night, as if they found the situation humorous.

"What about me? Where do I sleep?" Kakashi whined, yes whined. The kitsune let his signature grin spread across his 'whiskered' tan. "Look behind you," was his advice, accompanied with a small snort.

Having followed, the silver scarecrow found himself face to face with their red headed host whose forest emeralds dazzled almost as brightly as Naruto's. Tarimuki's lips curved into her own version of Naruto's wicked smirk, the kind that told Kakashi he was possibly stuck in deep shit.

"You, will be staying with me tonight."

For once, Kakashi was speechless with shock.

Even Team 7's socially retarded, ice king looked stunned, as if strict, well mannered, kind, mother hen, straight-as-an-arrow Iruka Umino had suddenly announced his sexual preferences to be of the male variety. Oh wait! He'd already done that. Never mind that it was Kakashi he was later revealed to have hooked up with.

As if she'd been expecting the reaction, Tarimuki giggled. An action that made her seem younger and more vibrant (disregarding the fact that she'd already seem to perk up in Naruto's presence) than her -_censored_- years.

"Don't worry." She sent a mischievous wink at him. One that Sasuke was convinced she'd stolen from Naruto yet again, "I know you're gay. Naru-kun tells us enough of your exploits to convince me of this fact."

Here, Kakashi was torn between amusement or annoyance. Amused at what Naruto must've said and annoyed at the bull's eye she'd scored on his orientation. His parting gift from the kitsune, was the irritated tick itching away on his head, smack dab in the middle of the gravity defying silver.

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><p>Having waved a cheery goodnight to the mentally grumbling, porn loving, ahemIrukamolestingahem, scarecrow, Naruto proceeded to bounce into the room he was to share with his socially retarded friend and teammate. Seeing that Sasuke had actually left the choice of sides to him, the grin split his face as his bounced onto the once pristine sheets which had decorated the bed stoically positioned on his right.<p>

"Night, teme!" Armed with a smile which almost mirrored one of Gai's in its intensity and somehow stripped of his signature orange, Naruto bid his friend/rival/teammate a hearty, Uzumaki-style farewell before he dove, head first into the land of dreams, nightmares and un-reality.

Throughout the process which took about the equivalent of five astonishing minutes, Sasuke could only stare, blank eyed at the fast moving blond who need only plop himself onto a bed to enter the dream state.

Hell, he was still in the middle of removing his shirt himself, and the navy material was pulled up to reveal his smooth tummy, a frozen animation. If life was an anime shown on a website like Youtube, that period of time, would be one wherein any scary ass Sasuke fan girl (SAFG) would have paused the show just to ogle the unnatural paleness of his stomach.

As a result, by the time he was ready for bed (stripped down to his boxers with his pearly whites sparkling clean) an estimated time of an hour had passed, owing to how much he'd spent on being frozen in his SAFG-rape-ability position. (For all interested, he spent a cool half an hour there)

Having resumed motion, he hesitated, staring at the peacefully relaxed face of the unconscious blond, seemingly weighing something in his head before deciding on his evidently important choice. Stepping closer to the occupied bed, he slipped pale hands under the covered body of his teammate before settling him in a calmer position underneath the empty canvas which was supposed to promise warmth to its user, with tan arms adjusted to hold the white sheets down.

Let's just say the way Naruto was positioned would remind one of a corpse in a random cemetery, prepared for burial. That was how stiff the bundle of sunshine looked against the ghostly white blankets.

Disturbed at the mental image produced by the look, Sasuke shifted the blond around once more, making Naruto lie on his left side with his hands tucked underneath the marshmallow coloured pillows. He ended up giving the kitsune the image of an innocent five year old caught in the wonders of slumber despite him being at the age of twelve.

Finally satisfied with the results, the dark raven retired to his assigned bed, snuggling himself in the betraying white, absently wondering if they'd be lucky enough miraculously survive through the night when the offered blankets felt cold to his bare skin before conscious thoughts left him drowning in dreams.

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><p>Despite the pessimistic thoughts, the boys of Team 7 slept peacefully through the night, whereas the sole female had a bit more of a problem. Or a pest. Depending on your outlook, for although quiet, sweet little Utaki had turned out to be more of a handful than the others combined.<p>

For starters, she was a miniature Hinata in flesh and Sakura had found the ambience of the room severely lacking in the shade of pink that she delighted in. This led her to rummaging around the box like space, hoping against hope that she might find a semblance of the colour since Utaki had taken to finger twiddling and stuttering responses whenever she tried to enquire about the visible lack of pink.

Then, in the middle of her search, she'd accidentally bumped into some nonexistent item and fell, landing at the foot of the other's bed. This had given her a good view of the coral coloured box hidden underneath.

"What's this?" With curiosity guiding her, she had pulled out the box and revealed its contents, catching a glimpse of only a few photographs and odd little trinkets before its owner snatched the cardboard out of her hands and nearly slammed the lid back on in her trembling haste.

Jades still crowded with curiosity, misted with shock, looked up in puzzled astonishment, catching a glimpse of the deeper red that powdered Utaki's face and the equally darker shade her blue blacks seemed to take on, making them appear almost indigo in the light.

"P-plea-se do-don't t-to-touch m-my t-thin-ings, S-saku-ra-san." Although she was barely able to make out the words, Sakura certainly recognized the protective tint to Utaki's embarrassed stammer. Mentally smacking her head at her rude gesture, the cherry blossom shifted back, slender hands held out in a form of surrender, hoping to pacify the younger ravenette.

"I'm sorry Utaki-chan! I should better respect your privacy. I'm sorry." Seeing that nothing she said was going to get to the emotional child, Sakura retreated to her corner, her side of the box where a nice, pink-less bed awaited her with a (hopefully) soft, un-pink pillow to go along with it.

"So, um, goodnight, Utaki-chan. Pleasant dreams." Uncertain, apprehensive and perhaps, the slightest bit unnerved, Sakura bid her room companion an awkward farewell before she snuggled herself within the cream white (pink less) sheets and forced a hasty departure for her dream world where things were a nice shade of cherry blossom pink and room mates were nice and chatty and bold and Sasuke and Naruto talked, laughed and communicated verbally, instead of physically.

Utaki kept her wary indigos locked on the peacefully slumbering cherry volcano, rightfully suspicious of the girl's state of consciousness. After all, who could possibly fall asleep that fast? Especially if she'd barely done anything which could be considered strenuous enough to warrant such quick acting exhaustion. All Sakura-neesama did was to sweep floors, mop corridors, dust walls, polish furniture, wash the dishes and clothes and…

Okay… Maybe that was considered a lot of housework for one girl, even if she was as scary as Sakura-neesama was.

Finally satisfying her rightfully suspicious nature, the quiet chibi busied herself with her bedtime routine before she too, followed the other occupant in nighttime wanders.

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><p>In all respect, I was actually surprised when no one wrote to scold me about the 'changes' part in the last chapter, 'Can't I Have A Father?' cause I honestly thought that it didn't really fit in. xp<p>

Well, since Polkadottedangels, luckyschoolgirl and Sprig were nice enough to reveiw and motivate this chapter, you'd better thank them. x33

Also, did you really think Tarimuki would let me reveal her age to you? If you did, shame on you! Women like to keep their age a secret. ;)

This is Rei, signing out xP

P.S Make with the reviews and I'll update faster! xDD


	5. Psychic Eggs

**Summary:** Team 7 is at the orphanage on one of their rest days. The reason? Naruto. Read on to find out what our favourite blond kitsune is up to and how it will involve the rest. :3

**Warnings:** Lousy stuff ahead!

**Disclaimer:** Are we realllllyyyyy gonna go there again...?

**Rating:** 'T' for the little swear words that escape every now and then :3

Yes! This thing is finally being updated! :D I'm so sorry... ;_;

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><p>The next morning, the orphanage's occupants awoke to screams of bloody murder.<p>

When they investigated, they found Utaki hiding under her bed while Sakura (with her face as pink as her hair) foamed in hers, still neatly tucked in. It turns out that Utaki might've gotten a little curious about Sakura, and might've tried the age old method of staring into the bill board forehead to find out some answers, and Sakura might've woken up at the wrong time, and she might've gotten freaked out, and the orphanage might've, almost, been blown up.

Luckily it was not!

Right?

After that ordeal, the kids returned to their everyday routines of freshening up and helping Tarimuki get everyone ready for breakfast. Even Team 7 lent a hand, though it was mostly Naruto who had elected for kitchen duty while the rest had volunteered to rest their lazy butts somewhere and watch everyone else do the work. But no one should blame them for their decision! After all, they were just awakened none too politely by a volcano. They were still worn out by all their missions and by all the kids, because Naruto is the only one with the stamina capable of keeping up with the little wingless darlings. It was not because they were in any way, old. Nope! Absolutely not! They were all still young teenagers! (With the exception of Kakashi) They were just a little tired, that's all!

However, as soon as that thought was finished, the 'S' duo stood, muttered excuses beneath their breaths, and left to find a way to make themselves useful.

Sakura sought employment in the kitchen, only to be shooed away by the chibi standing guard at the door while Tarimuki, Naruto and his clones prepared something that smelt absolutely wonderful. Actually, the cute little chibi guard wasn't needed. She need only smell the sizzle of eggs and spices cooking in harmony to know she was out gunned and she bowed out gracefully like any other sane person would.

Sasuke meantime, went for a patrol to make up for the unfavorable situation he had been forced into the previous day. Because a shinobi other than the dobe has to know something about the damn place! So, although he claimed to be kindly patrolling for the establishment, everyone knew that the duck butt teme was actually snooping about.

Breakfast was delicious, ooey gooey omelet rice.

The rich scent of the dish alone was loud enough to draw hungry mouths from all over the house and little elfin sized hordes poured into the cheerful kitchen. They were seated without much preamble, all too excited to have a taste of food that Tarimuki was only able to prepare properly with Naruto around to argue over petty things like seating arrangements. Joining the raucous bunch of little monsters, the remnants of Team 7 watched in what could loosely be called fascination as sunny Uzumaki helped one of the younger tykes slice up his share of sticky, tasty rice while holding an animated conversation with two other youngsters discussing the day's plans.

This was another side to him that the rest of Team 7 had never seen before, though this wasn't entirely their fault, given that they had never had a chance to catch the blond fox in a similar situation before. This new Naruto would never have fit in with the regular one which they knew, but there was something about the air of the orphanage that Tarimuki ran which made it seem all that natural somehow.

Could it be due to the number of little chibis in the area? Sakura thought she had read something about children being able to bring out the nurturer in certain individuals somewhere, sometime ago, and she figured that this fit the situation though she wasn't sure how true that was. Or was it more accurate to say that the nurturing trait was more dependent on one's genetics then other external factors? If that was the case, would it be too far-fetched to think that the great Uchiha Duck Butt could also one day, be as caring as Naruto was, towards his own flesh and blood?

Here was where Inner Sakura called it quits, because the thought of The Sasuke Uchiha hugging a mini him with laughter in his lips and affection in his eyes was just impossible. In fact, it was such an otherworldly sight, that even in her mind, he could only be seen doing such a thing while wearing a mask denoting such a doting expression. Otherwise, such a thing could only occur in an alternate universe.

Luckily for her, Naruto's loud voice pulled her away from further mental trauma. The blond's energetic voice reminded her to eat, informing her that the real reason behind their current residency would be revealed afterwards.

Motivated, Sakura punched out Inner Sakura's lights mentally and ate her meal in big, gulping spoonfuls that made her look more shinobi then girl, because while she was being tortured, everyone else had conveniently finished and the mini humans were nowhere to be seen. Once her dish was cleared, Naruto stood clumsily, his chair scrapping backwards with a roar. Ignoring this, he grabbed her wrist, oblivious to her flinch and dragged her into a room where Sasuke and Kakashi stood waiting.

They shut the door behind her, locked it and cast a sealing jutsu on it for good measure before Naruto began.

"It all started during the Great Shinobi War…"

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><p>So... After the lonnggggg break (Pleasedontkillme) I came back, read this, and wanted to vomit. But people seem to like this weird style of writing, so I've decided to continue this illogical, badly planned one, and rewrite another version of Orphans.<p>

I'll upload when able, and for now, bear with me again? :3


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